Perception
by MitsukiSora-dessu
Summary: The twins always said that they were going to adopt Haruhi into their family. Everyone brushed it off as a joke and even though they were serious about it, they brushed it off too. Especially when graduation hit and everyone was working on their careers. But then, one day, that little joke was brought back. The circumstances might be different but they were getting a Fujioka.
Heya guys~! It's been a long time hasn't it? Like... Almost 2 years I think? Ahahaha... So I was re-reading Ouran and there was a chapter that really made me wanna try out this kind of plot. Hope you guys like reading it as much as I like writing it~!

My wonderful little fluffball of a pomerduck friend Avi helped me work out some things, and she's probably gonna be helping me during the whole story if she can. ^^

So here we go!

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

Small hands reached into the cabinets to pull out what was needed for dinner that night. She knew how to make simple meals after helpting her mother, but tonight she wanted to make something a little more elaborate. The tuna she was given by her neighbor was practically begging to be eaten tonight; there was no way she could refuse its request- silent as it was- now could she? So with barely a sound she pulled over her step stool - her mother had gotten it just for her to use- so she could better reach the counter and set to work. Her arms were quick to tire but she persisted, a trait her mother stated made her both endearing ( a word she had had to look up at a later date) and mildly aggravating. She herself thought it made her like her mother; her strong, beautiful, and gentle mother. The same mother that was finally coming home after a three day business trip which was what prompted the desire for an elaborate dinner.

Mayume hated the time they had to spend apart but they would finally get to talk again after three days! She was practically vibrating with excitement, her small hands working at the ingredients even quicker as to try and keep it contained. Glancing over at the clock Mayume released a small sound of alarm. She would have to hurry if she wanted to surprise her mother. Smiling faintly at the thought Mayume hurried, releasing a soft breath of relief when the meal finished minutes before her mother was expected home. It wouldn't be a surprise if the woman was late- though she knew her mother hated tardiness- but Mayume wanted it finished just in case.

When she set her mind on a task, she, like her mother, wanted it finished as soon as possible. Speaking of her mother... little ears perked at the sound of the doors lock clicking and the slight creak of the hinges as it was pushed open. Again she felt excitement fill her body and with a short cry of "Mommy!" Mayume dashed through the kitchen to the front door. There her mother stood, still for but a moment, before rushing forward and scooping her up. Three days was a long time to go without her mothers warmth embracing her, without the comforting scent of paper and ink enveloping her, and without the soft gentle touch brushing away her loneliness...

An independent five year old she may be but Fujioka Mayume hated having to spend time apart from her mother.

The exhale a her ear ruffled her hair - almost exactly the same shade of brown as her mothers- and made her lean back so she could look at the woman. "Tired?" She muttered the questions softly, staring into those rick brown eyes- eyes that she had only been able to see in the mirror for the past few days- that stared right back. Her mothers lips curved into a soft smile before she answered the question, "A little, but I'm feeling better already." Mayume beamed at the words before she wiggled in her mothers arms and was immediately released. Last time her mother hadn't managed to put her down fast enough and the child was left with a nasty bump and an exasperated mother.

"Just be patient next time," her mother told her while stroking her hair, trying to be gentle around the tender protrusion, "please. I don't want you hurt, Mayume."

Patience was a virtue that came and went as it pleased where Mayume was concerned but she always tried. Upsetting her mother was the last thing she ever wanted to do after all.

Looking up at the woman now, relishing in the sight, she pulled at the soft gentle hand that had stroked her head. "Take a bath Mommy. I made dinner." A bath would relax her mother and make her a little more refreshed after half a days travel. Plus Mayume could wash a few of the dishes she had messed up while preparing their meal. She was a very reliable five year old and her mother thanked her efore heading off to the bathroom.

A bath really would make her feel better and Mayume would want her a little more alert for their dinner, Haruhi thought with a hum. "Yes, yes," she chuckled when she reached the door, "I won't take too long." Before she could close it though a small head poked out into the hallway.

"Mommy?"

"Yes?"

"Welcome back."

Another smile pulled at the womans lips, "I'm home, Mayume. I'm never leaving you alone like that again."

"I'd like that Mommy now hurry!"

Her mothers laugh echoed before falling silent when the door was pulled shut. Not long after Mayume heard the sound of running water and started her task of cleaning her mess. When that was finished a small frown pulled at her lips. Her mother never lingered in the shower, especially when dinner was already finished. With fingers fisting in the fabric of her shirt just over her belly, Mayume approached the bathroom door. After that time the door lock had jammed and Mayume couldn't figure out how to fix it, her mother kicked it open and then changed the knob later that day to one that couldn't be locked. If one looked close enough they could still see the indent in the frame... and that was exactly what Mayume was staring at as she called out to her mother. "Mommy?" Silence answered her and little fingers tightened their hold. She tried again, "Mommy?" Again, silence replied.

With tears gathering in her brown eyes, Mayume turned the knob, pushing it open with a nervous hand. "Mommy?" Her voice was shaking as she hoped that maybe her mother just hadn't heard her calling because of the water but the feeling that something was wrong wouldn't fade. That hope quickly vanished at the sight of her mother sprawled on the ground. Mayume wasn't even aware she had screamed until the lady on the phone (when had she run to grab the phone?) told her to clear her throat, swallow, and tell her the address she was at so that could be sent. Mayume tried, she did, to calm down but despite her independence and her vocabulary and her household abilities, she was still only five years old and her mother wasn't answering her. Her calming took quite a bit of time.

People, strangers, took her mother, took her, away from their home. Her mother went in the ambulance while she rode with a policeman who kept asking her questions. Questions she didn't know the answer to.

"Is there anyone I can call?" She shook her head. "No grandparents? Uncles? Aunts?" Again a shake in the negative. Mayume didn't know anyone. It had always just been her and her mother. Just the two of them for as long as she could remember. Her mother had her coworkers but Mayume had never met them before- well she had but not enough to provide the policeman with any information.

"Is... is mommy..." Unable to finish her question the policeman reached out and held her hand, providing her with comfort with his touch. And she cried and cried and cried. Even when they reached the hospital her didn't stop until he picked her up and stroked her hair with gentle yet big hands. He promised to stay with her; she was only a child and when her tears finally ceased their shedding, he questioned her again. What her name was, what her moms name was; what her favorite color was and her favorite food... Mayume knew she'd never be able to eat tuna again. Not unless her mother came out and they went home right then to eat dinner.

It didn't happen.

The doctors stabalized her (Mayume didn't know that meant but that had to be a good thing right?) but her mother still couldn't come home yet. She looked tired and with each passing day Mayume could see her growing weaker. The doctors didn't know what it was. At first they thought it had been fatigue but her mother continued to look worse. Not refreshed like she should have been after resting for days. "Mommy," she whispered with her soft voice, tears in her eyes once more, "you're not getting better." Her unspoken question hung thick in the air between them. Why? Brown eyes laced with fatigue stared, a sad smile pulling at thin lips and with obvious effort her mother drew her to her side. A weak exhale ruffled her hair.

"I don't know, Mayume. The doctors are as confused as I am," Haruhi admitted in a soft whisper, not wanting to break the quiet of the room- of this moment- with loudness. "They're trying to figure it out, just like I'm trying to get better, so we can go home..." Tears fell as she held her daughter as close as she could while she whispered repeatedly with conviction how much she loved Mayume. "You're my dream, Mayume. My one true dream, the only dream I ever wanted to come true." Mayume cried with her mother who was also so strong, who always had the answers to every question and who she loved so much.

All they had had for each other. That was all Mayume had ever known. It was always the two of them in her five years of life... Then, despite trying so hard, despite staying by her mothers side and praying and hoping for days, it was just her.

Mayume was all alone.

* * *

Dull eyes stared at the passing scenery, at the hint of her reflection in the glass, before turning away. She had been pulled away from her mother side not too long after waking. At first she didn't understand- the doctors and nurses hadn't had a problem before with her sleeping with her mother- but when her mother didn't answer her, Mayume knew. But she still didn't understand. They had just spoken to each other. Her mother had told her a story about a time before Mayume was born when there were a group of men- "My best friends," her mother said with a smile of unadulterated fondness- dragged her in to many mischievous adventures. "It's been a while since I've seen them," she had said with a sad chuckle, "but... I know they'll help me if I ever needed it." And Mayume told her that she should call them and they'd all go out for ice cream as soon as she got better.

So why wasn't her mother answering her? Why wasn't she better? Why was her skin, her normally warm skin, so cold?

 _Why didn't Mommy try harder?_

Blinking away the small gathering of tears, Mayume stared at the back of the policemans head. His name was Daisuke, he told her, and he stayed by her side as much as he could. When a woman came and brough her to a house full of other children, Daisuke visited every day. He was keeping his promise to her and before his visits would make her happy... Today though he had picked her up in the morning, his big hand comforting on her shoulder as she tried to keep calm. Her mother was going into the ground today and as much as it hurt, Mayume knew she couldn't keep crying.

Crying wasn't going to bring her mother back to her.

"I spoke with your moms lawyer," Daisuke stated, making Mayume focus entirely on his voice. Why would her mother have a lawyer when she was a lawyer? "Did you know you had Godparents, Mayume?" Inclining her head to the side she asked him what a Godparent was and why her mother never told her about them. "A Godparent is usually someone who is very close to you... They are the ones who are responsible for you if anything ever happened to your mother."

"Oh."

Mayume didn't know anyone who was close to both her and her mother though. The neighbors, perhaps, but she didn't think that was the case and neither did she think her mothers coworkers fit that image either. "We'll meet them after the service together, Mayume," Daisuke informed her as he reached back to pat her knee in reassurance. It was his way of telling her she wasn't alone, and while she appreciated it, Mayume stayed silent. She didn't want to talk and he had nothing more to say. So she went back to staring at her reflection, at the passing trees, through the glass pane until they came to a stop.

Daisuke carried her there before setting her down so she could sit in a seat close to the open casket. He chose to remain standing, staring down at the woman he had never met, and felt his heart clench at the sight. Her child was practically an exact replica of her; the difference being that Mayume's hair was just a shade lighter- but it could always darken as she got older. It was a rare occassion that he became emotion over a person he didn't know but he had a soft spot for children. They didn't deserve to face something like this so young... No matter how level headed Mayume was, she was still only five. Life really could be cruel, he thought with a wry smile as he stroked the childs hair and made himself focus again.

There weren't very many people attending the service. Fujioka Haruhi was not a very sociable adult. Her focus was her daughter and her career. That focus had caused her to distance herself from her father though he found that they still made the time to write to each other a few times every month or so and they did call. Daisuke had not enjoyed that particular trip, he remembered, as he stared at the beautiful elder man who was trying not to cry. Fujioka "Ranka" Ryoji was heart broken over the loss of his daughter- the daughter who died with a mysterious and sudden illness just like his late wife- and Daisuke felt that twinge hit him once again when those teary eyes saw him and flickered to the child he was still touching. The question in those glistening eyes was answered with a subtle nod and Ranka quickly brushed away the tears before making her way over to face him, and the child she had never known about.

Mayume blinked at the beautiful lady who crouched in front of her, silently regarding her. "I know this may confuse you," started with woman with a surprisingly masculine voice, "but I'm your mothers father; your Grandfather." Mayume knew the difference between a man and a woman- a few accidental trips to the wrong room in the bath house assured that talk early on- but she really didn't want to correct this adult who should have known. Especially since this adult was the person who raised her mother. Her capable and smart mother... "I go by Ranka," the lady told her, bringing her attention back to the present, "What about you?"

Though she had been told not to talk to strangers, she figured this could be an exception. This was her grandfather (mother?) after all. "Mayume..."

"Mayume, huh? That's a pretty name."Ranka stated before standing up, brushing her hands down her dress to smooth it out. "I'm going to go and greet some friends of your mothers... Then after all of this is done, me and you can get to know each other. Would you like that?" She didn't know what to say so she looked at Daisuke and when he offered her a small smile and a nod of his head, she agreed and watched as the lady approached a few cars lined up in a row that looked pretty expensive. But she didn't care about that. All she cared about was that her mother would never smile at her again. Would never laugh or scold or teach her a new recipe ever again. And when the service ended and her mother was lowered into the ground, Mayume allowed herself to cry again.

She cried over the mother who would never again say " _I love you, Mayume_."


End file.
